I am looking for new tires for my XC90. The Michelin P235/60R18, Pilot HXMXM4 only lasted for 24k miles, cost to replace has been quoted at $267 per tire. So I am looking for something more "economical". I live in the bay area, which means it is city driving, with some rain, but no snow or ice. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Thx,

Brad

Hi Brad

While we live in different parts of the country and our tire requirements are not the same, I was quite overwhelmed by the number of choices that were available for my 2005 2.5T XC90. I read what I could and talked to whomever I could to get some recommendations, but for my needs in the mountains, I knew I needed a snow specific tire.

I called the Tire Rack (TireRack.com) and spent some time with one of their salespeople. Extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and no pressure to buy. They recommended the Bilzzak DMZ3 tires for my Volvo. Their website is quite extensive and full of valuable information.

I purchased 4 Blizzak DMZ3 winter tires and I am very impressed with their performance. We have over 25 feet of snow this year and the roads are snowy and full of ice. These tires have incredible holding and stopping ability. Its been a very snowy winter in the Colorado high country and these new tires have far exceeded my expectations.

It might be worthwhile to talk to the knowledgable folks at the Tire Rack.

Jonathan

HELP!!!!!


Is there anyone out there who shares my problem with tires on the xc90? I have a 2005 with 14,000 miles. The michelins on my car are worn out COMPLETELY on the outer edges on ALL 4 tires exactly the same way. The tire store that I took my car to ADAMENTLY insisted that I take the car back to Volvo and have them replace these tires for free because of unusual way these tires have worn.

At first Volvo told me that my tires must be misaligned...and that the Volvo has a unique way of compensating for misalignment by using the outer edges of the remaining tires. That explanation sounded ridiculous. Later they said that my alignment was perfect and that it was just normal wear and tear.

I believe that this car must have a design defect if after only 14,000 with mainly highway miles, on brand new Michelins, the outer edges wear down to the point of replacement.

Is anyone out there having the same experience? I am meeting with a Volvo factory representative next week to discuss the problem.

Thanks p.s. I am in sunny southern california

I have the same problem. have they resolved?

If its only the outer edge of the tire, the alignment is off. If its the outer and inner edge of each tire, they are underinflated.

Also, I think Michelins are traditionally a softer compund, so they will wear faster.

Hi all, first post on this board.

I have a 2005 xc90 T6 AWD and seem to have wore out my tires....front drivers side in particular after 16k miles. I am in the process of speaking with the service manager at Volvo to discuss. I will let you know how it turns out. The car has been there 7 times and had a front brake job just recently, but no one at Volvo ever noticed the tire wear.

I would like to put on a tire ranked higher (by consumer reports) but have heard that if you don't put back OEM (i.e. Michelin 235x60xr18 HXMXM4). You could void the warranty. Can anyone confirm? thx

Rich

I own a 2003 Volvo XC 90 and have replaced my Michelin tires about every 15,000 miles. The wear is mostly on the outer edges of the tires. The dealer has refused to replace them for free. I am now wondering if this is related to the defective tie rods that were recalled recently.

Wow, our XC90 also has the tires worn on the outer edge. Another XC90 being droped for service yesterday has the same wear. I would be interested to find out if anyone has any luck with getting the dealer to replace these.

As an update, after speaking to the service manager, I came up empty on any help from Volvo on this. He pretty much blamed the premature wear on soft tires. The Michelin "V" series tire is designed for high speeds which wows the car magazines, and brings people in to buy the car. Unfortunately, the 99% of us consumers who choose not to drive the car over 100mph unwittingly pay a high price with frequent tire changes.

The sales manager was not aware of any warranty stipulations that say you need to stay with the OEM tire and said people who have replaced the "V" series tire with a "H" series were getting 35k. Of course you need to replace all 4 tires at the same time or the AWD will go haywire and could cause damage. He did a lookup on the computer for replacement tires and all were 235/60/R18 and you would need to stay with a load rating of at least 102, but other than that other tires are fair game.

Consumer reports last ranking for SUV tires was in Aug 2004...anyone have a more recent ranking for SUV tires?

Rich

We have 12,500 miles on our 2006. Right front tire is at 2/32 (Legally bald) and others 3/32 -- with the front tires worn on the outside and the rear tires wearing on the inside.

Our dealer, Lee Volvo, says alignment is fine and doesn't see reason for concern....but two local tire dealers both say the car has an alignment problem and until we fix that there is no point in replacing the tires. But Volvo checked the alignment last week (or that's what they want me to think....) so not sure what to do next....

An update

Volvo replaced all 4 tires and the rear wheel bearings at their expense. I had to get Volvo corporate invovled because the dealer wasn't responsive and still worry that we haven't addressed the root cause (e.g. The dealer says no but I still wonder if the tire wear and wheel bearings were the result of something else....)

Hi folks,
I live in Maine, and winters suck here... we have fours season, Fall Winter, Mud, and Pot Hole... I own and 850, however, I'm looking to buy a new Volvo haven't decided on which model. The Dealership nearby's service department said that the XC90's go through tires quickly because ov the wieght, as well as the manufacturer reccommends performance tires which will burn up quick... I might try a tire that that has 80K mile warranty on it.. Don't get frustrated with the tires or that problems of you car.. the problem is that CAR...

I'm a newbie and I have to say I was driven to this forum in search of a solution to the tire (235/60/18) issues on with my 2004 XC90 T6 AWD.
The winter weather in WI warrants a tire with decent traction in snow, but the most of the year I putting highway miles on the vehicle. Even light snow humbles the OEM Michellins, but my dealer cautions against using H-rated (snow or all-season) tires or any sort of Pirelli rubber (calls them "disposable") on the truck.
With no other options available, I'm reluctantly putting Michellins ($225) back on truck tomorrow -- plus an alignment job to rid the outer edge wear on both right side tires. I'm also going to bring the truck in for 30K service -- any recalls or bulletins regarding the tie rod issue mentioned above?
Thanks for the helpful insights -- here's hoping another tire manufacturer steps to the plate with better all-season rubber… I'd gladly pay $250 for a HydroEdge with a 50-60K warranty!javascript:emoticon(':liebe011:')

I just traded my 2004 VW Touareg V8 for a 2007 XC90. The following link

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1769243

is on the Touareg forum discussing Nokian WR AWP's. Touaregs would also go through the OE Dunlops in under 20k. The Nokian's are V speed rated all season with a 50k mile guarantee. These tires also have the severe duty emblem for snow (they've pulled me through 14" of new snow). These had 22k on them when I traded and still over half the original tread. You can see them at :

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tires_popup.cfm?id=17

Great riding, handling and all around tire. 500 AA UTQG rating

Thanks a bunch, bullit -- did a little research on Nokian Tyres (BTW, these didn't come up on tirerack.com) and looks like they trump the Michelins I have on order. Not many folks have these available locally, but the specs and literature alone have me ready to put in a change order ASAP. I don't gamble, but these sure seem like a far better setup than the OEM rubber.

Again, thanks so much for the tip!

p.s. I'll let you know how it goes -- headed to the shop in the a.m.

We are experiencing a similar problem, with similar resistance from the dealer. Who at Volvo did you contact (and at what tele #)?